Fireplace Price Tags, Demystified

How much does it cost to install a new fireplace? An internet search of that seemingly simple question leads to a deceptively complex range of answers. (Most people would argue that there’s a pretty big difference between a $500 and $15,000 budget, after all.)

According to Andy Hoffman, retail store lead at Fireside Hearth & Home, a hearth dealer in Roseville, Minnesota, costs for a fireplace alone—not including any optional accessories, delivery, installation, venting or applicable taxes—are as follows:

• Electric: $500 to $2,000
• Gas: $2,000 to $10,000
• Wood-burning: $800 to $6,000

While adding a new hearth is typically a straightforward process, there are many factors that can affect cost, from how you plan to use the unit to where you place it in your home. For example, a wood-burning fireplace may seem more affordable than gas at first glance, however the cost of adding a chimney and flue system (if your home does not already have one) and maintaining it year after year can add several thousands of dollars.

When all is said and done, most homeowners—no matter what type of hearth they purchase—will spend somewhere between $3,500 and $10,000 after purchasing, installing and adding any extras, Hoffman estimates.

To combat the information overload that comes with reading about fireplace prices, read on for the information behind the price tag and what costs to consider as you add a hearth to your home.

BEFORE YOU BUY A FIREPLACE

Selecting a new hearth is not unlike selecting a new car: It’s important to look at sticker price as a starting point, explains Hoffman. “Fireplaces have options like a car does. You have simple models to deluxe models,” says Hoffman. “What’s reflected in the sticker price is often the most basic option.”

So it’s important not just to consider the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), but also research the costs of other components and variables such as:

• Installation and venting
• Cleaning and maintenance
• Operating costs
• Labor
• Wall finishings or surrounds
• Upgrades or add-ons for functionality or aesthetics

A thorough product website or dealer will help you narrow down the selection by prompting you to think about your needs, wants and space. Many showrooms, including Hoffman’s, also offer a pre-visit checklist to get you thinking about the basics before you even call or step foot in the store. This will save time and help the sales representative show you models in your budget that fit your lifestyle and home.

FIREPLACE INSTALLATION COSTS

Installation costs vary depending on the type of fireplace, where it is being installed and the ways in which it needs to be hooked up and vented—but a good rule of thumb is to budget about 25 to 50 percent of the price of the hearth.

• Electric: If you’re not comfortable wiring it yourself or have a complicated electrical situation in your home, you’ll need to have a licensed electrician hook up your fireplace, which could cost anywhere from $150 to $500. However, there is no venting—thus no venting costs—required for electric fireplaces.
• Gas: For natural gas fireplaces (as opposed to liquid propane), there will be costs to hook the hearth up to a natural gas line. A direct vent gas fireplace typically has very low installation costs, however those may increase if your hearth is being installed in a hard-to-vent location.

“Nine out of 10 times, you don't have any issues with venting a gas fireplace,” says Hoffman. And in the rare event that you do, he adds, features like a power vent can be used—but that workaround could add another $2,500 to the price tag. Gas fireplace venting and installation costs may also vary depending on whether you go with a traditional one-sided model versus a bay, pier or see-through style.

• Wood-burning: A chimney and flue system with a chimney liner that’s in good working order is a must for a new wood-burning fireplace installation. If you don’t already have one in place, the liner alone can cost an average of $2,500 according to Home Advisor. The cost of installing the chimney itself can run from $2,500 to $10,000 depending on the roof line and height of your home—meaning you’re adding thousands simply to vent the fireplace in addition to installation costs, which can cost several hundred dollars.

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE COSTS

Gas and electric models typically are low-maintenance hearth options, with no cleaning and little to no regular maintenance involved unless a problem arises. Because of the safety risks involved with soot buildup in a chimney, wood-burning models typically need yearly maintenance and frequent cleanings. A simple sweep on a well-maintained wood-burning fireplace could cost in the $100 range, while sweeping a neglected chimney could cost up to $800.

COSTS TO RUN A FIREPLACE

“Often this is a question people ask when looking at a fireplace: Is it going to cost a lot to run?” says Hoffman. “It's really not.” The cost to run any fireplace is overall pretty low, but depends on the type, as well as how—and how often—you use it.

• Electric: Minimal run costs that vary with the price of electricity in your area. Typically an electric fireplace costs around 18 cents/hour to run at its highest setting.
• Gas: It's very inexpensive to run a gas fireplace. For instance, the Heat & Glo 6000, which is one of the most popular gas fireplaces of all time, costs about 42 cents/hour to operate. There will be variation depending on the model you select and on natural gas utility costs in your area (or on the price of propane if using an LP model).
• Wood-burning: Using wood logs means no energy costs to run the fireplace, but this will likely be offset by higher cleaning and maintenance costs, plus the cost of wood fuel.

USING A GAS FIREPLACE FOR ZONE HEATING

Similar to the premise of a hybrid car, you can turn down your home’s thermostat and "zone heat" the rooms you use most with an efficient gas fireplace. It cuts down on the fuel consumed by your furnace and if done correctly, could help reduce home heating bills by 20 to 40 percent, according to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association.

“Let's say you have a fireplace in your living room and you spend a lot of time in there with it on,” says Hoffman. “Most people turn the furnace down anyway when they go to bed, so maybe instead of having the furnace go down at 9 p.m., turn it down at 7 while you're watching TV, reading or doing puzzles in the living room with the fireplace on. It may take a while to figure out the math, but at some point, you'll end up saving a little bit of money. Rather than heating the whole house with the furnace during the winter, you could just heat the area you’re in.”

FIREPLACE UPGRADE COSTS

Even the most basic fireplace models typically have several upgrade or add-on options—some more costly than others.

Functionality add-ons can include:

• Remote control and/or touchscreen controls
• SmartWall TV kit
• Power venting
• Blowers and fans
• Battery backup for gas fireplaces

Aesthetic/ambiance add-ons can include:

• Mirrored interior panels or anti-reflective glass
• Front finishes
• Glass media or firebed lighting
• Stone surround
• Mantel and shelving

A hearth dealer will walk you through all options—and associated costs—that are relevant to your home and fireplace in order to stay within your budget.

PRO TIPS FOR STAYING WITHIN YOUR BUDGET

Hoffman encourages homeowners to keep these tips in mind to ensure that there are no surprises as you go through the hearth shopping process:

• Don’t compare the cost of apples to the cost of oranges. While friends’, family members’ or neighbors’ hearth structures are great sources of inspiration, remember that every home and every installation situation is different, and that retail prices can change even over a period of a couple years. If you’re installing a gas fireplace with an elaborate surround and mantel in a new rambler, you shouldn’t expect to pay the same as what your neighbor in a 100-year-old Craftsman did for their simpler electric model five years ago.
• Social media is not one-size-fits-all. Pinterest, Houzz and Instagram also are wonderful sources of inspiration, but don’t get hung up on a certain price point until you’ve talked to a dealer who takes the time to learn about your individual home and needs, and who knows what installation factors and upgrades to consider.
• Labor often depends on location. The cost of labor may vary between metropolitan areas and smaller cities, Hoffman points out. “What a dealer charges [for labor] may be a lot different in Paducah, Kentucky or Ames, Iowa than in Los Angeles,” he says. “That's a tricky part.”
• Give yourself time to gather information. Hoffman says that many customers make at least one, if not two or three, trips into a showroom before they commit to a hearth—depending on how much research they’ve done before coming in. In this way, he says, pricing out a hearth is more like taking on a remodel than it is like buying a car.“In reality, you're adding an appliance to your home. Let's say you wanted to remodel a bathroom or kitchen; you don't know what the cost is going to be. So you have to contact somebody.” The more information you can provide to a dealer about your needs and space up front, the better the chances you’ll find the perfect hearth to fit your budget.

Hoffman adds that if you prefer not to make multiple showroom visits, some dealers may be able to draw up an estimate by talking through details via phone or video chat. “A picture's worth 1,000 words,” he says. “Take a picture of what you want, where it’s going to go, what you want to do, then come in to the showroom or call—we can do so much with email and FaceTime these days, too.”

Heat & Glo offers a wide range of fireplaces, including gas, wood and electric products. If you’re interested in adding a fireplace into your new construction home, start here. If you’re remodeling an existing home, we’ve got you covered, too.